Veteran journalist Demba Ali Jawo has reacted to his sacking as Information, Communication and Technology minister describing the timing as a ‘bit surprising’.
Mr Jawo was elbowed out of the cabinet in Friday’s reshuffle. Other casualties included Vice President Fatoumata Tambajang, the iron lady who planted the seed for an opposition victory in December 2016, Agriculture Minister Omar Jallow of the Progressive People’s Party, Youth and Sports Minister Henry Gomez and Health Minister Saffie Lowe.
There are reports that Tourism Minister Hamat Bah of the National Reconciliation Party has also been pushed out of the cabinet. A government media statement announcing the sacking and appointment of new ministers has failed to mention his fate together with that of the Interior minister.
Speaking to the BBC Focus on Africa Programme hours after his sacking, Mr Jawo said the president has not given him any reason for the sacking.
“They actually called me to the President’s Office and gave me the letter. It was afterwards that they issued a press release. Well of course, the Secretary General at the Office of the President was the one who handed me my letter, sat down open it and I saw that it was a letter from the president relieving me of my post,” he said.
The much respected journalist who edited a number of newspapers in the country including the Dakar-based African Press Agency (APANEWS) and was called into government in February 2017 added: “No, there was no reason stated [in the letter] but as you know, well he [the president] has the prerogative to appoint anybody and sack anybody and he is not obliged to give any reason whatsoever.
“Well, I was not very much surprised that it happened but maybe the timing was a bit surprising. I didn’t expect it today. But honestly it didn’t come as a very big surprise to me.”
Reflecting on his tenure, Mr Jawo said: “Probably things have not been quite easy running the place and I thought probably one-day somebody might think I am not delivering or whatever, I don’t know, anyway. Under the circumstances that I was operating, I definitely feel that I have done all that I could under the circumstances. I couldn’t see that as my fault anyway.
“I wouldn’t say that the president or the government wasn’t cooperating with me, but we are still going under some teething problems. The coordination between the various ministries and departments and other things was not quite as we would have loved it to be.”
Barrow should be very mindful unfair dismissals can lead to legal challenge, remember you hire them so that does not mean fire them any how you like. These people have families and other responsibility,dismissals should be justify and accordingly. There are rules surrounding hiring and firing.
Tafel, I do not necessarily agreed with your statement…”these people have families and other responsibilities…” We all have families and responsibilities to shoulder. However, if assumptions like what you highlighted has to be put into context, no one would get sacked or dismissed from his/her position even if incompetence of responsibilities is/are questioned. We must try hardest to fight against nepotism, corruption and incompetence. What legal challenges are there for their dismissal from the positions occupied?
Tafel, that is inaccurate. He can fire any cabinet member at anytime without any explanation. You said, “There are rules surrounds hiring and firing.” What are those rules? The fired cabinet members were not on contract. Their hiring is what lawyers call at-will employment. That means, the hirer can fire at any time and the hired can quit at any time, no questions asked. It goes both ways. Where a Contract exists in employment, the matter is different and this is not that case. Everyone has a family or comes from a family, so anyone hired or fired comes from a family. If firing persons should be avoided because they have families and other responsibilities then no person should be fired. I am not attacking you. I am merely showing you what is at work here. So, please do not take personally what I said. Thank you and have a blessed day.
Ok samba, in the hiring apart from an elected person, condition and terms must be stated which can bring security during the employment process, it doesn’t matter who president hired security of the employment should be underlined. This will give more power to the president to fire if those condition where not meet. My reason for saying families and responsibility when you are terminating any individual from their job you don’t take decision very lightly, unless three is a gross misconduct.
Sorry instead three is there.
Also samba, you mentioned that firing without questions; if that what most leaders does, then why bothered taking something that no security or guaranteed ?
Tafel, the positions were opened and they applied. The first question you needed to ask should have been whether the employment was at- will or contractual. Here, it was not contractual but at-will. When you start talking about security in hiring, you are getting into the area of contractual employment. The fired persons knew what they were getting into. What would have happened, if the fired persons before accepting their respective positions insisted on job security, for example, that the president cannot fire them but for cause, then the president could easily have said no thank you very much and find others willing to take the job. Then what would they have done under such a scenario? Sue the president for refusing to hire them? Absolutely not. I do not know of a country where cabinet members are hired on contract basis. Do you know any? If you are an expert in some field and two companies wanted to hire you, then you may requisition certain conditions and benefits in order to accept the employment offers. And as an expert, the government may hire you to do a particular work on contractual basis. Take for example, the members of the Janneh Commission, there is a good chance they were hired on contract basis. By that I mean they singed contracts in order to accept their respective positions. So what would happen if they were fired? They can then go to court and demand that they be paid for the remainder of their contracts depending of the duration of the contract they signed. Assuming that their firing was not their fault and they did not breach and contract term they can do like I just said. Now, the members of the Janneh Commission are not cabinet members so they can insist on a contract in their employment, but cabinet member cannot. The president is not competing with anyone to hire persons to cabinet level positions.
So samba, you’re telling me under president Barrow there is no equal opportunity of employment in his cabinet ?